Health
Statin advantage and LDL
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 17, 2005
The greater the reduction in LDL cholesterol from the use of statin drugs, the greater the reduction in incidence of major coronary events, coronary revascularization and stroke, according to a met-analysis published Sept. 26 in The Lancet.
The meta-analysis combined data from 14 randomized trials of statins involving more than 90,000 patients.
The investigators, from England and Australia, found that statin therapy could reduce the 5-year incidence of major coronary events and stroke by about one-fifth per mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol irrespective of a person's pre-treatment cholesterol level or other characteristics.
Meanwhile, another study found that statin use was associated with a 36% reduction in the risk of fracture among elderly men. Previous studies have shown an association between statin use and fracture risk in women but, the researchers noted, since many statin users are elderly men with heart disease, these findings are particularly relevant. The study appeared in the Sept. 26 Archives of Internal Medicine.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/10/17/hlbf1017.htm.
